The rights of religious minorities in predominantly Muslim majority communities : The Marrakesh Declaration

Recently, in order to examine more deeply what entails the rights of religious minorities in Muslim lands, both in theory and practice, His Highness, King Muhammad VI of Morocco, called a conference in Marrakesh in the Kingdom of Morocco.  The result of this conference is the Marrakesh Declaration.  It is a two page document which is embedded in this post and can be read here on line (there is a side-bar to scroll down) and/or it can be downloaded.  Could you please distribute this post widely among your networks.  There is so much going on in the world of a negative nature under the controversial heading "Islam" that sensible and peaceful actions can go unremarked and unnoticed. 

Readers may find this linked Wikipedia article of use in its discussion of historic attitudes and relationships between Islam and other religions.  For those not used to the ways of Wikipedia, please note that it is something of a democracy insofar as articles can be edited and re-edited by many contributors.

The Call to Action references the Charter of Medina. Ton find out more about the Charter or, as it is sometimes referred to,the Constitution of Medina, please go here.

Conference Aims

In order to examine more deeply what entails the rights of religious minorities in Muslim lands, both in theory and practice, His Highness, King Muhammad VI of Morocco, will host a conference in Marrakesh in the Kingdom of Morocco. The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, based in the U.A.E. will jointly organize the conference, scheduled to be held from 25th – 27th January, 2016 (15th – 17th Rabi al-Thani, 1437). A large number of ministers, muftis, religious scholars, and academics from various backgrounds and schools of thought will, God willing, participate in this conference. Representatives from various religions, including those pertinent to the discussion, from the Muslim world and beyond, as well as representatives from various international Islamic associations and organizations will be in attendance.

The conference’s discussions and research will focus on the following areas:

1. Grounding the discussion surrounding religious minorities in Muslim lands in Sacred Law utilizing its general principles, objectives, and adjudicative methodology;
2. exploring the historical dimensions and contexts related to the issue;
3. and examining the impact of domestic and international rights.

This conference, with God’s help and providence, aims to begin the historic revival of the objectives and aims of the Charter of Medina, taking into account global and international treaties and utilizing enlightening, innovative case studies that are good examples of working towards pluralism. The conference also aims to contribute to the broader legal discourse surrounding contractual citizenship and the protection of minorities, to awaken the dynamism of Muslim societies and encourage the creation a broad-based movement of protecting religious minorities in Muslim lands